"Father!"
I feel dazed.
"Father!"
A heavy sensation of drowsiness, as if I've just woken up from a long sleep. A type of numbness that seems to radiate from the very depths of my brain.
"Father!"
"Hu, huh?"
"Father! Are you okay?"
My daughter-in-law was gently patting my shoulder.
"Oh, thank goodness... Honey!"
My eldest daughter-in-law, who had been at my side, called out to my eldest son. One by one, my other sons filled the room, lining up like sausages.
"Father..."
My sons surrounded my bed with worried faces.
"Why the long faces? It's not the first time I've been sick."
Seeing my sons' faces seemed to clear my mind a bit. The murky memories started to come back.
Yes, this is the VVVIP room of the hospital I've been admitted to for the past 2 years. My health had been deteriorating, but I never thought it would get this bad.
"Father, you looked so pained in your sleep..."
"I had a dream. I was struggling on the third floor. Why? Want to hear about it?"
"Oh, Father! Haven't we heard that story enough?"
My eldest son chuckled, lightening the mood.
"Yes, those tough times now seem like mere memories..."
It's been 70 years since I cleared the tower. Humanity regained its peace.
After a bitter defeat, the god who threatened humanity's extinction promised to return, and I became the hero who saved mankind.
For nearly 70 years, I've lived as one of the world's most famous figures, reaping rewards and honor. While my body remained extraordinarily healthy, the problem was with my mind.
"It seems my time has come."
Perhaps it was due to regressing too many times in the tower. Recently, I've been experiencing memory lapses and frequent fainting spells.
"My son."
"Yes, Father."
"I... am preparing to leave."
My body is healthy. That's the problem. Only my body is healthy. I feared what I might do if my mind wasn't sound, especially given the divine power my body possessed.
"Father..."
My eldest son hung his head. He had been my constant support in recent years, but I could tell he understood my resolve.
"Thank you for everything. I've been so happy. I always considered myself lucky that you were my father."
"Father, me too!"
"Father...!"
Tears flowed from the eyes of my family members.
With a gentle smile, I comforted each of them, then cleared my throat slightly.
"Now, everyone, please step back. I need some time alone."
"... Thank you for everything, Father."
One by one, my family members left the room, wiping away their tears.
I gazed at the departing figures for a moment, then turned to look out the window.
[Junho Grandpa! We're waiting for your recovery!]
[You are the pride of our nation.]
[The entire nation is rooting for your recovery!]
Flower bouquets and banners filled one side of the hospital wall. There must've been hundreds at a glance.
"It should be 'recover', not 'give birth'...," I muttered.
Seeing this reaffirmed my belief.
I did make a difference in the tower that sought to undermine humanity.
I did the right thing.
"Well done, Junho."
After commending myself, I dispersed the mana circulating around my heart.
Slowly, the life drained from my body. It was a peaceful and silent death.
[You have taken damage.]
[You will regress to the moment you first entered the 66th floor.]
"Arrrgghh!!!"
I gasped for air and felt my body.
Instead of the ageless body endowed with unparalleled strength, I felt the squishy body of a 20-year-old.
Where am I? This isn't the hospital room. What am I doing?
"… Are you awake?"
Dok Suhee looked down at me with a mix of pity and contempt.
Seeing her face, my memories slowly returned.
Right, I was progressing through the third floor. I had opened the stone door on the right and could reach a room identical in design to the one on the left.
The last thing I remember was suddenly hearing a mysterious voice saying, 'A warrior needs courage. Face your fears,' and then I blacked out. Did I witness the "most terrifying scene" because of the tower? The fear I just felt is too vivid.
"It seems the one who overcomes 'fear' first wakes up the others. Thank you for waking me up."
"... Thank you."
Wiping the sweat from my neck, I thanked Dok Suhee.
"But what illusion did you see that made you sweat so much?"
"... I saw the worst possible outcome I could think of."
My goal isn't just to clear the tower.
If I can't find a way to get rid of this regression skill someday... After clearing the tower, I might be trapped in an eternal cycle.
If that happens, my sanity will gradually shatter.
The gratitude I expressed to Dok Suhee was sincere. I woke up at the right moment. I was afraid of what I might do if I couldn't rest and lost my mind.
With immense power, a madman can do infinite things. After witnessing an illusion of such madness, I was uncertain about my mental state.
"But Suhee, what illusion did you see?"
Although Dok Suhee was smiling lightly, a tear rolled down her cheek.
"... Me?"
Wiping away the tear with a small smile, Dok Suhee said,
"I saw the driving force that pushes me forward."
"Well, since we've cleared it, it's done, right? About 2 hours have passed, so should we move on after wiping our sweat?"
Her lips were smiling, but there was a hint of sadness.
"... I'm ready. Let's go."
I stood up without probing any further.
It seemed the only challenge on the right path was overcoming fear, with no additional illusions or detours.
"Oh, you're here?"
Walking down the path, I found Kangchan and Angyeongjun leaning against a wall, waiting.
"You cleared it pretty quickly?"
"Yes. Those clay or metal figures attacked us... but the powerful spirit swept them away."
"... That spirit was quite powerful."
Kangchan nodded in agreement with Angyeongjun's statement.
Considering Kangchan acknowledged it, that native spirit must have been incredibly strong.
"But, more importantly, this place seemed suspicious, so we were investigating."
Now that I looked, Kangchan and Angyeongjun were waiting outside an entrance, not going in.
"... What is this place?"
From a distance, it looked like some kind of cave.
There were flickering torches on the walls and wooden supports embedded in the walls. Large chunks of metal lay scattered on the floor.
"A mine... maybe?"
Yes, the first image that came to mind was a mine. It resembled underground tunnels I'd read about in books.
"But the ceiling is too high for it to be a mine..."
Angyeongjun's point was valid. Mines usually have low ceilings, but this space was tall, at least 20 meters or more.
"Moreover, this metal... it's not ordinary."
Angyeongjun handed me a piece of the shiny metal.
"Can you try hitting it?"
"... You want me to hit it?"
"Yes, just tap it gently."
I carefully tapped the metal chunk with my fist.
"Ugh!"
I had barely touched it, but a heavy impact resonated in my fist. It felt as if the metal had hit me back.
If I had hit it a bit harder, I might have been forced into regression.
"What is this..."
"I've conducted a few tests. This doesn't seem to be ordinary metal."
Thanks to the powerful spirit that swiftly cleared the left room, Angyeongjun had time to conduct various tests. He seemed to have a pretty good grasp of the metal's properties.
"This metal... when hit with a certain level of impact, it returns the force."
"... It returns the force?"
Such a property would be surprising for anyone with a background in science.
"Yes, I need to investigate further, but..."
A mine filled with rare metals that bounce back force? What could this suggest?
I'm not sure how to interpret this.
"Shall we... go in and see?"
Dwelling on it won't solve anything. In the end, you have to dive headfirst into the lion's den to understand the problem. Once again, I took the lead, and Chan Hyungnim covered our back.
"... Hmm."
There must be something. In this environment, it wouldn't be surprising if something, like a wolf hidden in the ceiling, suddenly jumped out.
But as we walked on high alert, we felt nothing.
Gulp.
The silence felt like the calm before a storm, and I inadvertently swallowed.
About 10 minutes must have passed.
"... This chunk is particularly large here."
There are several pieces of metal, much larger than the others. Is this a sign of something? We continued cautiously.
Just as we completely passed that questionable chunk of metal...
"?!"
Being on high alert, I immediately noticed it.
Behind our group, something felt off.
"Watch out...!"
I tried to warn, but it was already too late.
The massive piece of metal we just passed started to levitate. Randomly shaped chunks began to merge and form a shape.
The speed of the transformation was incredibly fast, barely giving us a glimpse of the assembling process.
Clink, clink, clink.
In the blink of an eye, the metal chunks combined to form a giant figure with two legs and two arms.
"Damn it...!"
We were quickly caught off guard.